Morocco's Jewish history dates back over 2000 years. Since the 7th century Jews lived as Dhimmi - a protected minority under the Islamic Principle of Tolerance - and flourished, holding high positions in trade and government. Jews and Muslims were united by culture and Kingdom. During WWII, King Mohammed V responded to Nazi demands for a list of Jews: "We have no Jews in Morocco, only Moroccan citizens."
In the 1940's Morocco had 300,000 Jews, the largest population in the Muslim World. After the formation of Israel, Zionists targeted Morocco's Jews for their large population and ability to co-exist with Arabs. Given promises of prosperity in Israel and with fears after the holocaust, an exodus of Moroccan Jewry began. Today, only 3500 remain.
In Israel, Moroccan Jews were pushed to abandon their language and Arab culture. Shamed by their likeness to the enemy at their borders, their identities were forced to change. In Morocco the community remains in decline. A population aging while the youth, who identify with the West, leave for their educations rarely to return.
Throughout the country Muslim Guardians protect synagogues, cemeteries and tombs of Jewish saints - these legendary Rabbis known for their miracles remain destinations for pilgrimage. The Guardians memories of the Jews are often connected to an idea of the golden years. They saw them as brothers, growing up together, living under one god and sharing one culture.
This project is an exploration of Jewish Morocco's ghosts, artifacts, places and remaining lives. It is a study of the void that remains after this cultural exodus, a look at the vestiges of a history of co-existence while confronting the peripheral sacrifices made by Zionism and the creation a Jewish state. It is a sober retrospective of a time and place where Jews and Arabs lived peacefully as neighbours and Moroccans.
